


Running out and into life

by Quin



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Crushes, Don't copy to another site, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, becoming friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-12 07:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19942579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quin/pseuds/Quin
Summary: Disappointed with what he thinks Pelican Town has to offer, Sebastian wants to be left alone. His mother has other ideas though, and pesters Sebastian to leave his room to make some friends. When he meets Sam, Sebastian is initially unimpressed, but just maybe he misjudged the other man.





	Running out and into life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [smallearthcat (vamplover82)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vamplover82/gifts).



“What are you doing all day long on that pc?” His mother’s voice startled Sebastian.

Sebastian turned his monitor off and shot her an annoyed glance. “That’s none of your business.” 

He had no desire to explain for the umpteenth time that he was working on an IT project. Sebastian made a mental note to buy a lock for the door to his room. He crossed his arms defensively. 

“As long as you're living under my roof it is my business.” Robin seemed to be unfazed by Sebastian’s attitude. “Why don’t you go out for once and meet some people? We’ve been living here for a while now and you barely know anyone.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. Why should he make the effort to get to know any of the villagers if he planned on moving out of this godforsaken backwards town as soon as possible? Besides, Sebastian believed he had seen enough to form his opinion of everyone. He needed to focus on his programming tasks to make money. Once he'd saved enough, he would get on his bike and ride to freedom, freedom from being told what to do and what not to do. 

Sebastian played with the computer mouse, waiting for his mother to leave, but Robin didn’t budge. She stood in the doorway as if she had all the time in the world.

“Maru has met some really nice folks through her work at the local clinic…”

“Fine,” Sebastian interrupted his mother quickly before she could get started on one of her 'If only you were more like Maru' speeches _._ “I’ll go to that saloon.” Maybe having a beer would lighten his sour mood. Now that his mother had broken his concentration, he didn’t feel like continuing his work anyway.

“Great,” Robin smiled. “See you upstairs in five minutes then.” 

Sebastian turned the monitor on again, saved his progress and shut down the pc. Knowing his mother, she would be back if he broke his word. He went upstairs, strode down past Robin, and left their house without another word, pretending not to hear the “Have fun, make some friends.”

Raindrops brushed his chin and rolled down past his neck. Sebastian didn’t mind. Contrary to his mother’s opinion, he didn’t hate going outside. He just couldn’t stand unsolicited advice. Sebastian rather enjoyed observing nature at work, the silent comfort of the coming and going of the seasons. Each weather phenomenon was honest. Rain, snow, sun, and wind never hid their true face, their intentions. 

Much too soon for his liking, Sebastian found himself at the Stardrop Saloon. Reluctantly, he opened the door, not sure what to expect. The downside of small villages was that everyone knew everyone and it was hard to go unnoticed. Fortunately, there weren’t many people inside. Besides Gus, the owner, who after a brief greeting, served Sebastian a beer; there was a single employee doing the dishes; a man and a woman who, judging by their drunken state, seemed to be regulars; and a blonde guy about Sebastian’s age hanging out by the arcade machines. 

Sebastian sat on a sofa nearby and took a sip of his beer. Not bad. Actually, it tasted a lot better than the stuff they sold at JojaMart. He took another sip and another. Sebastian realized that at the rate he was drinking the beer would be gone quickly, leaving him with nothing to do. If he went home too early, he'd bet his mother would be waiting at the door to question him. He groaned inwardly. For fuck’s sake, he was an adult and Robin still treated him like a child. 

Out of boredom, Sebastian decided to watch the other guests for a while, trying to recall their names and what else he knew about them. To his astonishment he dredged up more than he had thought he would. All his family’s talk about what they loved about Stardew Valley and Pelican Town must have somehow imprinted on his brain. But even so, when Sebastian checked the time, only ten minutes had passed. He drummed his fingers on the armrest of the couch.

He would have checked out the arcades, but the dude, Sam, was frantically jumping between the two machines. Each time he occupied one game for just a minute or so, then cursing, hopped over to the other, played it and then cursed again. 

Sebastian finished his beer, and decided to order another one plus a pizza to go with it. He was hungry and maybe by the time he was done eating, Sam would have gotten tired of trying to beat the games. 

A beer, a coffee, and half a pizza later, Sebastian’s stomach was full, but Sam was still having a go at the arcade.

“Damn, I can’t believe it. It’s rigged, it must be,” Sam exclaimed while forcefully kicking the machine labelled _Journey of the Prairie King_. Sebastian rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh. This guy had a lot of nerve.

He must have said that out loud because Sam whipped around and threw Sebastian a look. “What? This,” he pointed at the screen, “sucks.”

“If it sucks so much,” Sebastian commented dryly, “why don’t you stop playing, so that others can play too?”

“Come on, I almost had it. I can’t give up now.” Sam wildly waved his arms around. “You know how it is.”

Sebastian raised his eyebrows and didn’t say anything. 

“Or maybe not. Sebastian, right? I’ve never seen you here before, but I know you’ve been living up in the mountains for quite a while. Why make such a fuss about the arcade now if you were never interested in it before?” Sam answered nonchalantly. 

“You’re the one who’s making a fuss right now.” Sebastian knew he shouldn’t bother and he normally wouldn’t, but something in Sam’s tone set him off. “Just because you’re not getting your way for once.”

“Huh?” Sam walked towards Sebastian, shaking his head. “Getting my way?”

“All your mother does is spoil you rotten, you never have to do anything yourself, so you’re obviously not used to something not going your way,” Sebastian stated coldly. 

Sam’s mouth dropped open. He stared at Sebastian. “Did you have one beer too many?”

“No, I don’t want to end up like them.” Sebastian motioned towards Pam and Shane.

“What a pity,” Sam said sadly. “That would have explained why you’re in such an aggressive mood. How can you judge me when you have barely spoken to me? Do you do this to everyone, look down on us from that high and mighty castle of yours?”

Sebastian gulped. Maybe he had gone a bit too far. 

“Well, your mother does all the chores for you and brings you everything you forget. You don’t lift a finger," he said as if that was a good enough reason to be rude. "Do you have an idea how hard it is not to be able to get a minute alone, having your parents constantly nag you to do something they want you to do?”

To Sebastian’s surprise, Sam slumped down on the sofa next to him. A shadow fell over Sam's face. Sebastian was unsure what he had expected from Sam, the anger and shouting had made sense, but not this gloomy expression. From what he had seen of Sam so far, he seemed to be the sunny, upbeat type, always smiling. Quite Sebastian’s opposite. 

Usually, Sebastian preferred people shutting up for once around him, but somehow Sam going quiet made him uneasy. He inwardly cursed his mother for making him go out this evening. He knew he had overstepped a boundary. Somewhere, there was a catch to their conversation, something that made Sebastian’s mind turn when otherwise he wouldn’t have cared about Sam’s opinion of him.

“Well, at least your parents are here to nag you, safe and sound. I wish I could hear my father’s voice yelling at me right now to clean up my room, see his angry eyes as he takes in the mess. Instead he’s Yoba knows where fighting the Gotoro Empire. Maybe Dad’s injured right now, maybe he has been taken prisoner or maybe… ah shit, that’s not something I want to even think about!”

Sam grabbed the leftovers of Sebastian’s pizza and wolfed them down. Sebastian’s mouth suddenly went dry. He gulped again. “I am sorry,” he offered tentatively. “I didn’t know that.” He felt stupid. Stupid for going out, stupid for listening to his mother for once, stupid for starting this conversation. “I should go home,” he said.

“Pfff, no,” Sam objected. “It’s time for another beer. And co-op gaming. When you first got here, you wanted to play, right? Maybe together we can beat this ridiculous game.”

Seeing Sebastian’s questioning look, Sam shrugged his shoulders. “I need a distraction right now; I don’t want to be left alone with my thoughts.” He went over to Gus to fetch the beers. When Sam got back, he added: “Also, it seems you have something you'd like to be distracted from too.” He handed Sebastian a mug with a light smile. “You know, Demetrius doesn’t look like he’s your dad.”

Sebastian snorted. “No shit.” He was surprised how easily Sam had switched from what was bothering him to trying to address what was on Sebastian’s mind. “He’s my step-father.”

“Not getting along, huh? So where is your real dad?”

“Yup, we're not getting along. Mum and Dad got divorced when I was little. He’s not been in touch since. I think he lives somewhere in Grampleton.” 

Sam clinked his beer against Sebastian’s. “Oh man, sorry to hear that.”

“It’s alright. If he doesn’t want to bother, he’s obviously not worth it. If only Demetrius wouldn’t act like such a know-it-all. And if everything wasn’t about my half-sister all the time. Anyway, I hope the war is over soon and your Dad gets back in one piece. Let’s drink to that.” Sebastian raised his mug.

Sam nodded. “Cheers.” They each took a large sip and let out a contented groan at the same time. “I swear Gus’ beer is divine. Come on, I'll show you everything I know about _Journey of the Prairie King._ ”

Sebastian hadn’t expected the evening to become so much fun. Although, or maybe even because, Sam was quite different in character from him, his outgoing, cheerful nature made hanging out with him so easy. Sam did a lot of talking, but never expected this or that reaction or answer from Sebastian unlike Sebastian’s family. Sam was passionate about everything; however, he also let things slide quickly. Sebastian found his initial dislike for Sam’s enthusiasm about the arcade turning into amusement. 

“We did it, we did it!” Sam screamed at the top of his lungs as he bumped his shoulder into Sebastian’s. “Motherfucker Fector, you lose!” He turned towards Sebastian with a huge grin on his face. “Awesome. I mean we still have hard mode left, but I've got to head home now though. I promised my brother I'd go camping with him, fishing, looking at nature, collecting bugs, stuff like that. So I need to get up early to pack.”

Sebastian checked his watch. It was already midnight. When had time started to fly by? “Yeah, I should get back, too. Mum will be wondering what I did all this time.”

“We should hang out again soon. At first I was surprised at how rude you were, but I guess we all have our crosses to bear, right? If you feel like escaping from your exhausting family life again, message me. My folks are good people, but it'd be cool to have someone new to talk to. Besides, so far you’re the only one I’ve met around here who is any good at gaming. See you around.”

Sebastian nodded. “Bye-bye.”

Sam waved and then sauntered off. When Sebastian arrived home, the lights were already out. Relieved that he didn’t have to talk about his evening out, Sebastian went to bed, feeling somehow lighter and pleased with how things had gone. 

The next morning, Sebastian avoided any parental conversation by sneaking out of the back door of Maru’s room while his half-sister and mother were talking to the mayor about some town maintenance project. From then on, he seemed to get lucky in finding the right moment to leave the house. At first, Sebastian convinced himself that he would have stayed in his room, but that increased his chances that his mum would approach him to ask what he'd been doing.

But, truth be told, Sebastian knew he preferred to go outside to see Sam. Even in bright daylight. Their mornings together were spent on the empty beach in the drizzling rain discussing the best skills and strategies for the _Solarion Chronicles_ , after work Sam showed Sebastian his skateboard skills, and their evenings were filled with Sebastian beating Sam at the Stardrop Saloon’s pool table every time. They whiled away hour after hour in Sam’s room, where Sam played songs he had written to Sebastian. Eventually, Sam convinced Sebastian to learn to play keyboard, telling him it wasn’t more difficult than mastering a video game. Sebastian was invited to lunch at 1 Willow Lane regularly. He liked that Sam’s mother didn’t ask any inquisitive questions while he and Sam were at her table. Weeks flew by and hanging out with Sam made him think of Pelican Town as a lot less insufferable of a place. 

Sometimes, Sebastian was astonished by Sam’s behaviour. Sebastian’s rideshare driver dropped him off at five o’clock in the morning, on this particular Sunday he had just returned from Zuzu City. Sebastian first believed he was dreaming when a bleary looking Sam stepped up to meet him in front of the broken bus. 

“What are you doing here at this unearthly hour? Don’t you love to sleep in?” Sebastian asked, disbelieving.

Sam yawned, and then rubbed his eyes. “I thought it would be nice if somebody waited for you, welcomed you back.”

Sebastian shook his head. “I would never get up so early if I didn't have to. This was an exception. My client wanted to meet face-to-face. I couldn’t take my bike because it needs repairing, and this valley is cut off from the rest of the world. Nobody offered to stop at Pelican Town to give me a ride except this one morning person. And I just can’t sleep in cars.” He sighed.

“I’ve missed you,” Sam simply said, giving Sebastian a wide smile.

“I was only gone for half a week.”

“So what? It felt like a lifetime to me. Nobody to talk to, being a solo artist, no gaming buddy, drinking alone to drown my sorrows – I thought you would break my heart,” Sam exclaimed.

Sebastian threw Sam a puzzled look. “You should have stayed in bed – you’re babbling.”

“Me? Never ever.” Sam gesticulated wildly like a stage actor trying to captivate his audience. “I needed to wake up in time to get the freshest and finest fish possible.”

Sam reached into his backpack and took out a beeswax cloth bundle. He opened the package to reveal several thinly-cut pieces of fish filet. “I assumed you might be a bit hungry. I know you hate a full breakfast. So I brought you something light and healthy, something you enjoy.”

“Sam, this is Sashimi. Sashimi,” Sebastian repeated, feeling a bit overwhelmed. They hardly ever got a fish dish of this quality here in Pelican Town as Willy couldn’t stand Sashimi.

“For you, only the best food is good enough,” Sam poked Sebastian lightly in the stomach. “I don’t want you to starve.”

“You don’t need to worry about me. You’re not my mother,” Sebastian half-heartedly objected. But unlike with his mother, Sebastian didn’t feel patronised by Sam. With Sam it was different. He was considerate and not overbearing. He genuinely cared.

“Thank Yoba no. I mean, I don’t want to insult your mother, but I think I have what it takes to make you forget everything, good and bad, about her and the rest of your family.” Sam laughed and then winked at Sebastian.

Sebastian was still exhausted from the tiring journey. His brain didn’t quite want to catch up. “Really?” he wondered.

“Of course. You cannot choose your family, but you can choose your friends, or you know, lovers.” Sam nodded vigorously.

“True,” Sebastian agreed. Sam looked at him as if he expected Sebastian to say more, but Sebastian had no clue what Sam wanted to hear. Instead, Sebastian decided to finally pop a piece of Sashimi into his mouth.

“Wow, it’s amazing. I really love this. Thanks, Sam. Come on, try it yourself.”

Sebastian and Sam shared the fish filets as they slowly walked back to the town centre where they parted ways. Once Sebastian was in his bed, he thought that he needed to reconsider something Sam had said, but only moments later Sebastian dozed off.

It wasn't the last time Sam said something that left Sebastian confused.

One day Sebastian woke up to a message from Sam.

_Hey, what’s up? We had a water pipe burst…do you mind if I come over?_

For a tiny moment, Sebastian hesitated before typing out an answer. 

_Sure, I’ll pick you up on the road in front of my house._

Sebastian realized he had never brought Sam home. Subconsciously he had probably been trying to avoid any annoying comments that might come from his family. Sebastian worried he might not feel comfortable with whatever they thought about him and Sam. However, he decided not to dwell on these useless thoughts, and instead retrieved some food from the fridge in order to take Sam to the mountain lake for a picnic.

Sebastian left his house and it didn’t take long until Sam arrived, whistling a joyful tune. 

“Hey Sam.” Sebastian motioned for his friend to follow him. They hiked for a while in silence. 

Confusion showed on Sam’s face as they neared their destination. “Yo Sebastian! Everything is flooded at my place and you take me to a lake?”

Sebastian smiled slightly. “It’s one of my favourite spots to chill. I never showed you and I thought this would be a good time.”

Sam slapped him on the back. “Hahaha. Don't worry; this is my kind of joke.”

“What happened to the pipe anyway?” They sat down on the small bridge connecting the tiny islands and Sebastian handed Sam a fish taco and a maple bar from the picnic basket. 

“I wanted to fix a cupboard, but I didn’t know there was a pipe in the wall behind it. Of course, I put a nail right into the pipe. And it turned out to be the main one for the house.” Sam groaned. He took a bite of the fish taco and continued talking. “At least I could save our instruments and the computer. Mum said it was nice of me to help, but she didn't need me to stay.”

Sam’s hair was even more tousled than usual and there was a wet stain on his trousers. 

“What?” Sam inquired as Sebastian looked him over. Sauce spilled out of his taco and onto his shirt.

“Yeah, you are looking like a bit of a mess, to be honest. And thanks to the taco, it’s not getting better,” Sebastian pointed out.

“Shit, I look like I peed myself. And this is my limited edition _Elemental Wars_ t-shirt. The one from their ten-year anniversary concert in Zuzu City. Oh no.” Sam’s face turned red. 

Sebastian checked the picnic basket, but he had forgotten to bring napkins. They had to get the sauce out of the cloth soon; otherwise the stain would be there forever. He knew that from experience. Without thinking twice, Sebastian removed his own shirt and dipped the sleeve into the water. Then he swiftly pressed it on the sauce stain on Sam’s chest. 

“Now you’re ruining your shirt as well.” Sam took hold of Sebastian’s arm intending to stop him, but he ended up simply holding onto Sebastian’s wrist. Sam’s skin was unexpectedly warm against his own. 

“Don't worry about it,” Sebastian replied. “It’s old anyway.”

Sam’s gaze wandered from Sebastian’s arm to his chest. He stared at Sebastian wide-eyed.

“Have you been working out lately?”

Sebastian shook his head. “No, just doing a lot of work on my motorcycle.”

“Well, you look good. Seriously, I mean it. You’ve built up muscle. It suits you.”

Sebastian didn’t know what to say to that. Obviously, Sam wasn’t joking.

“Alex works out more.” Sebastian waved it off, but Sam would have none of it.

“Yeah and it makes him look ridiculous,” Sam huffed. “Like he’s on steroids.”

“Hmm.” Beneath the thin fabric of his and Sam’s shirt Sebastian could feel Sam’s muscles as well. “You’re not bad either,” he offered unsure what else to say.

“Ha,” Sam grinned. “You and me, we’re rockstar material.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Like _Elemental Wars_?”

“Oh man, I forgot about the stupid stain.” Sam sighed before sticking his tongue out at Sebastian. “That’s your fault for distracting me with your hotness. How can anyone think with your abs there.”

“I would never do anything like that,” Sebastian protested, slightly flustered. “How about rinsing your shirt in the lake?”

“So now you want me to take off my shirt, so you can check who has more rockstar potential: you or me.”

“Stop being so childish.” Sam’s words somehow stirred something up in Sebastian he didn’t quite understand. Normally, Sam’s bantering didn’t unsettle him that way. “Let's go to my place. You can borrow a t-shirt from me and we can put yours in the wash.”

Sebastian picked up the picnic basket and led the way again. Sam was silent on the walk back to 24 Mountain Road. Stopping by his room, Sebastian gave Sam one of his long-sleeved shirts, put on a hoodie and then threw their wet things in the laundry.

Returning to Sebastian’s room, Sam sat down at the table, frowning. “About before, did I do something wrong? I hadn't meant to make fun of you. I thought that we talked like that, but if I overstepped your boundaries, I'm sorry.”

Before Sebastian could answer, there was a knock on the door. “Sebby, it’s me. I just wanted to inform Sam that Clint has fixed the pipes in Sam's house.”

“Thanks, Robin,” Sam replied. “I guess I can go home now. It is getting kind of late.”

That was plainly not the case and Sebastian could see that Sam was leaving him an opening to contradict him, but Sebastian’s ongoing confusion kept his tongue locked.

Sam sighed heavily and then turned around, mumbling something incomprehensible as he left.

A pang of regret overcame Sebastian as he heard his friend’s footsteps recede. He flopped down on his bed. He couldn’t stop replaying the scene at the lake in his head. He couldn’t stop thinking of Sam. Had Sebastian imagined it or had Sam’s gaze been admiring? Sam teased Sebastian all the time, but today had felt different. Like Sam had touched him before, a slap on the back every so often, but hours ago Sam’s hand lingering on Sebastian's chest had told a different story. And Sebastian hadn't taken his hand away either. Sebastian's mind conjured up different ways the scene at the lake might have played...but what good was chasing fantasties?

Sam was the best friend he'd ever had and Sebastian didn’t want to destroy their friendship over something silly. The thought of someone else spending more time with Sam made him shudder. Regardless, Sebastian needed to understand the inner turmoil Sam had caused him. What if there was, like Sam said, a boundary to their friendship? There shouldn’t be any.

Sebastian finally got up and turned the computer on, so he could instant message Sam.

_Hey. I don’t know why I overreacted earlier. I don't want things to be weird with us._

Sebastian was surprised that Sam immediately went online and answered. He must have been set to invisible before.

_Hey, I was being over the top. As I said I am sorry. Always the bold and brazen guy._

Sebastian scratched his head, then typed: _But that’s why I like you so much. You're easy-going without any hidden agenda._

There was a pause before another message popped up. _You sure I don’t have a hidden agenda? I did steal your Cave Saga shirt._

Sebastian sent Sam a laughing smiley. _It probably smells because I’ve worn it so often._

 _It smells good, you smell good. I should start sleeping in it,_ Sam replied. There, there it was again. Sebastian rubbed his temples. He wasn’t really into human relationships apart from his friendship with Sam. But were you supposed to say things like that to a friend? 

_Isn't stealing a guy's shirt to sleep in something girls do?_

Sam sent a gif of the _Queen of Sauce_ shaking her finger at Sebastian. _If I wasn’t into a girl, I wouldn’t let her have my_ _shirt_. _Are you into a girl?_

Sebastian unconsciously held his breath as he considered his next message. _No. I mean I would have told you, right? So you don’t have anybody on your mind either?_

He waited for like an eternity until Sam finally wrote: _I do, but not a girl…_

It was well past midnight, but Sebastian didn’t care about the right time of the day. Fantasies continued to flood his mind. He needed to find out the truth or he wouldn’t be able to go to sleep. _Want to come discuss this in person? There is a key under the mat._

Sam sent back _Okay…_ and then he went offline, leaving Sebastian even more apprehensive. He went back to bed. How long would it take Sam to sneak out of his place, walk to the mountains and slip into Sebastian’s room without anyone noticing? Hopefully, nobody discovered Sam. This was urgent. He was already going nuts, waiting until tomorrow to talk about it simply wasn’t an option. 

Sebastian’s head had started to hurt from all the thinking, yet his mental cinema shackled him, throwing one theory at him after another. Sam was into someone. Sam wasn’t into girls. Today, Sam had sent Sebastian signals that he had a hard time deciphering. Had his friend given off these signals before and Sebastian just hadn’t noticed them because Sebastian hadn't known what he wanted? Or perhaps it was because Sebastian was afraid. Afraid that his new feelings for Sam were yet another thing he'd screw up somehow. He couldn't handle being a disappointment to Sam too. Sebastian was so caught up in brooding, that he startled when someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“I am a hero. I made it,” Sam declared as he collapsed next to Sebastian on the bed.

“Good,” Sebastian shivered as Sam’s backside accidentally brushed his thigh. “So…“

“You know,” Sam said slowly, “about what I wrote…“ 

Sebastian clutched the blanket. “Yes? You can tell me anything.”

Sam’s voice was actually shaking. “I am not really sure if that someone is also into me. But it has been tearing me up inside for some time now.”

“And you didn’t feel like you could tell me, or that I could help?” Part of Sebastian couldn’t believe the madness of asking Sam this question. He held on even tighter to the covers. 

“Well…” Sam blushed. 

Sebastian held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, I have to admit that I’ve never been in a relationship, so I’m probably the wrong person to ask for advice. But I am a good listener.”

“It makes me feel embarrassed. I am afraid of rejection and this is totally new for me.” Sam chewed on his bottom lip. 

“I get it.” Sebastian leant against the wall for more support. 

Before he could continue, Sam interrupted him: “Is it cause you want to feel more appreciated by your family? I remember you’ve told me how everything is always about Maru and that you’ve given up on trying to get their attention.”

“No, that’s not it, exactly. I am not good at reading people, I guess. Lately, I think I am getting signals from someone. But then I wonder if I am just imagining things. And I can’t muster the courage to ask about these signs. What if I interpreted them totally wrong and make an idiot out of myself?”

“Yeah, that sounds familiar.” Sam twiddled his thumbs. “If you’re right about the signs, how do you feel about them?”

“They are really new to me. It’s a bit overwhelming… I mean trying to understand it all,” he hastened to say as he saw Sam slightly trembling upon his words. “But I always come to the same conclusion.”

“And that is?” Sam stammered.

Now it was time for Sebastian to avert his eyes. “That somebody likes me more than just as a friend. But, what if I am wrong? What if I become more and more comfortable with this feeling and then I learn I am mistaken?” he repeated. 

He shifted on the mattress nervously. He worried that he had said too much, that in this outburst of words something wrong might have slipped out.

“So... I take it you don’t mind that your friend has a crush on you?” Sam finally murmured. He moved closer to Sebastian, tentatively holding out his hand.

Sebastian‘s heart beat faster as he carefully entwined his fingers with Sam’s. “I don’t mind at all.” 

“Then we’re good.” Sam leant into Sebastian, his head resting on his friend’s shoulders. “I’ve been harbouring a crush on you for so long. I let out all these silly hints and then later I cursed myself for my slippery tongue. But it just happened again even though I swore I would be more careful in the future. I really thought if you knew that you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me anymore.”

“I never expected, I never knew I would feel something like this for you.” Sebastian laughed softly. “You make me talk, you make me forget everything around you and most of all, you make me feel at ease. First, it was just a passing thought, now it’s become so intense. Maybe it sounds crazy, but I didn’t really realize it before today. I somehow feel stronger, calmer, like I could face down the entire world; that no matter what my family will say it won’t matter because you complete me.”

Sam’s warmth seeped into Sebastian as Sam pulled Sebastian into his embrace. “I bet your mum will be happy that you’ve made a friend and that you’re going out.”

“Now that you mention it, she stopped pestering me some time ago. I guess it was a good thing that I listened to her that night.”

“See?” Sam said. “Things are already changing. With everything going on, I never got to tell you the other big thing that happened recently.”

“Bigger than your house flooding? Than us?” 

“Yeah, my dad is coming home soon. My mum got a letter, the fighting is done. It won’t be long, then I will see him again.”

“I am so glad,” Sebastian replied, hugging Sam as his friend held onto him tight. Sam tipped his head, his lips softly grazing Sebastian’s cheek. Sam shifted so that their mouths could finally meet. At first they were both hesitant, their lips barely touching, noses bumping against each other. Both of them were unsure where to put their hands. 

Then Sebastian was tugged off balance by Sam and fell on his friend. Sam giggled, hugging Sebastian close again. Sebastian, in turn, buried his hands into Sam’s thick blonde hair. Sam looked like he wanted to say something, but Sebastian seized the opportunity to shut Sam up with a deep kiss. His tongue met Sam's and a lot of sensations hit him at once. He couldn’t name them, but it felt like he was falling, drowning in Sam, but at some point Sebastian had to gasp for air. 

Sam seemed as breathless as him, but for now there was no need to say anything. Sebastian drew his blankets over him and Sam. Life in Stardew Valley had finally fallen into place for him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Karios for the beta!


End file.
